This invention relates generally to crop harvesting machines and, more particularly, to a windrow inverter operable to work windrows of crop material lying on the ground.
Windrow inverters, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,125, issued on Dec. 27, 1988, to Philip J. Ehrhart and Bryant F. Webb, have been utilized to engage a windrow of crop material lying on the ground, elevate the windrow of crop material, convey the windrow of crop material transversely of its original position on the ground, and invert the windrow of crop material by passing the windrow through a discharge chute positioned transversely of the cross conveyor. Such a windrow inverter is operable only to transversely shift and invert a windrow of crop material, although the windrow inverter embodiment described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,092, issuing on Apr. 19, 1988, to Richard E. Jennings, provides for a windrow inverter that can be operable to merely shift the windrow of crop material to dryer ground laterally to one side of its original position on the ground.
It has been found desirable that, particularly in light crop conditions, to position two windrows of crop material adjacent to one another, thereby increasing hay volume for future operations, such as baling or other harvesting procedures. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a windrow inverter that would be operable in a selected manner to laterally shift windrows to either side of the machine to permit a doubling of windrows of crop material beside one another.
For a windrow inverter having a wing extension manually pivotally movable from a generally horizontal operating position to a generally vertical transport position to provide the capability of optionally doubling windrows for subsequent harvesting operations, it would be desirable to provide a mechanism to hold the wing extension in the selected operative or transport positions. It would be preferable if such a position locking mechanism would be operable to lock the wing extension in the vertical transport position without letting go of the wing extension to effect a pinning of the structure.